Entries in Beyonce
(61)

Courtesy MTVAfter last year's twerk heard 'round the world, what could Miley Cyrus possibly do for an encore at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards? Take home the Video of the Year trophy in a surprise upset -- and then turn her acceptance speech into a powerful call to action.

Miley's "Wrecking Ball" clip beat out much more recent and talked-about clips -- from "Fancy" to "Happy" to "Drunk in Love" -- to take the top prize of the night. But instead of coming onstage to accept it, Miley sent an unknown young man instead. Identifying himself as Jesse, he said he was accepting the award for the "1.6 million runaways and homeless youths who are starving, lost and scared right now."

While Miley watched from the side, tearing up, Jesse went on to note that L.A., the entertainment capital of the world, has a disproportionate number of young homeless people. He then invited everyone to visit Miley's Facebook page to see how they could help. She's asking her fans to donate money for "My Friend's Place," a homeless center for young people in Hollywood.

It was the second truly "serious" moment in a night that's usually all about flashy, raunchy, over-the-top performances. The first came when rapper Common mentioned Ferguson, Missouri, which has been a hotbed of protests and occasional violence since unarmed teen Michael Brown was shot by a police officer there in early August.

"The people have used their voices to call for justice and change, and to let everyone know that each and every one of our lives matters," said Common, noting that hip-hop has "always been about truth, and a powerful instrument for social change." Before handing out the award for Best Hip-Hop Video, he called for a moment of silence for Brown, "and for peace in this country and in the world." During the show, a brief public service announcement about Ferguson was also shown.

Of course, there were plenty of flashy, raunchy and over-the-top performances, too, starting with the three-way diva-off of Ariana Grande, Jessie J and Nicki Minaj, who opened the show. Ariana emerged from a rocket ship to sing "Break Free," followed by Nicki in a green bikini, rapping a heavily censored "Anaconda" and twerking like nobody's business. Jessie J then emerged to start up "Bang Bang," and was joined by Ariana and Nicki, who had a serious wardrobe malfunction and spent the number clutching a scanty black dress around her so it wouldn't fall off.

Another performance highlight was Taylor Swift's first performance of "Shake It Off," which she sang wearing a two-piece, midriff-baring fringed sequin number, accompanied by dancing acrobatic men in tuxedos and female backup singers. At one point, she ascended to the top of a giant "1989" sign onstage -- that's the title of her album -- looked over the edge and said, "Nuh, uh. I don't care if it's the VMAs. I'm not jumping off there. All kinds of people are getting bit by snakes...it's dangerous!" That was a reference to the fact that, during rehearsal, one of Nicki Minaj's backup dancers was, in fact, bitten by a snake. She's OK, though.

It was a great night for British and Australian acts -- and we're including Lorde in there, even though she's technically from New Zealand. She took home the Best Rock Video Moonman, accidentally cursing during her acceptance speech and then quickly apologizing. Brit Ed Sheeran won Best Male Video for "Sing," and Brit Sam Smith absolutely slayed with his beautiful, stripped-down rendition of "Stay With Me." Aussie band 5 Seconds of Summer performed "Amnesia" and won the Best Lyric Video award, while Aussie Iggy Azalea stopped the show with her dramatic rendition of "Black Widow," which she sang with Rita Ora.

Maroon 5, in their first-ever VMA performance, took things outside, playing "Maps" in the parking lot in front of thousands of fans underneath an enormous, lit-up "M." They also played a bit of "One More Night" as well.

Of course, the performance to end all performances came from Beyonce, who received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. It was presented to her by her husband, Jay Z, who was holding their daughter, Blue Ivy . He referred to her as "our greatest living entertainer," and a tearful Beyonce said, "I am filled with so much gratitude. Blue, I love you. My beloved..." -- referring to Jay Z -- "...I love you. My fans, I love you. MTV, I love you!" Then, she, Jay and Blue all walked offstage together. They didn't look like they were heading to the divorce attorney, either.

As for Bey's performance, she basically sang her entire self-titled album. She performed for about 15 minutes, running through, in rapid succession, "Mine," "Haunted," "No Angel," "Jealous," "Blow," "Drunk In Love," "Rocket," "Partition," "Flawless," "Yonce," "Blue" and, finally, "XO," which the audience sang along with her. She wore the same costume, but moved through a series of different sets, with dancers, video screens and lights creating a different distinct mood for each number. The show ended after her performance and acceptance, because really, how could you follow that?

Beyonce was the biggest winner on the night, taking home three trophies in addition to the Video Vanguard Award.

Courtesy MTVHere's a brief rundown of additional tidbits from the MTV VMAs:

--Ariana Grande opened the show with "Break Free," emerging from a rocket ship to sing it. Nicki Minaj then sang "Anaconda" and did not get bitten by a snake. Jessie J kicked off "Bang Bang" and both women joined her...the video premiered online shortly afterwards. Ariana ended up winning Best Pop Video for "Problem" -- it was presented to her by her childhood crush, Jim Carrey, and his Dumb and Dumber To co-star Jeff Daniels.

--Katy Perry won Best Female Video for "Dark Horse." She arrived at the VMAs with Riff Raff, who appears on the remix of her hit "This Is How We Do." They were both wearing matching Versace denim, in an homage to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake's famous matching denim outfits from the 2001 VMAs. Later, Katy enjoyed watching Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora perform "Dark Horse," since she co-wrote it. We saw her in the audience, singing along.

--There was no host, but SNL's Jay Pharoah was on hand to do some of his famous impressions, including Drake, Jay Z and Kanye West. While the real Kanye wasn't there, his wife Kim Kardashian was, and she was wearing a top so plunging that it was a wonder it actually stayed on. Demi Lovato also wore a super-plunging outfit, as did Jordin Sparks.

--In addition to performing "Shake It Off" for the first time on TV (see related story) Taylor Swift enjoying hanging in the front row with her BFF Lorde, who picked up her first Moonman and introduced Taylor's performance to boot, calling it "the beginning of her brand-new era." The two were seen singing along and dancing in their seats during a number of performances.

--Dressed all in white, Usher was the hardest-working man in showbiz at the VMAs. While performing "She Came to Give It To You." he danced, sang, played bass guitar and slapped and bumped Nicki Minaj's booty. By the end of the performance, he was sweating like a pig and looked exhausted.

--Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora's performance of "Black Widow" was a huge production, with a string quartet onstage, a huge web hanging in the background, coordinating black spiderweb catsuits, and tons of backup dancers. Jordin Sparks and Taylor Swift were seen singing along to every word. As she strode around the stage confidently, you'd never guess that Iggy actually fell off the stage Friday night at a pre-VMA charity concert.

--One big surprise of the night was girl group Fifth Harmony winning the fan-voted MTV Artist to Watch category, beating out Sam Smith, Charli XCX, 5 Seconds of Summer and Schoolboy Q. "Oh my God, we didn't think we would win, this is amazing!" said the X Factor alums, who thanked Simon Cowell, among others.

--Chris Brown was seen laughing in the audience, evidently not too concerned about the fact that rap impresario Suge Knight was shot several times at his pre-VMA party on Saturday night.

--An unexpected, though brief, tribute to Robin Williams was shown: Coldplay's hit "A Sky Full of Stars" played over a montage of photos of the late actor and comedian, who died on August 11.

--The entire final segment of the show was given over to Beyonce, and if it was meant to show that her marriage to Jay Z was still going strong, it worked. The couple and their daughter Blue Ivy couldn't have looked any more loved up as they walked offstage together at the end of the lengthy performanceand Bey's emotional acceptance speech.

@BeyonceLite/Twitter(NEW YORK) -- Blue Ivy may only be 17 months old, but it is clear Beyoncé is training her girl to run the world.

The "Love on Top" singer, 31, took to her Tumblr account to post photos of her daughter. In one snapshot, she's seen sporting a bejeweled crown, while another photo revealed a glammed-up Beyoncé and her baby girl sharing a private moment.

Blue Ivy may have even inherited her mom's killer fashion sense, if Beyoncé's snaps of a mini-champagne colored dress and Baby Tom Ford stilettos are any indication.

"In the back of my mind, she's my priority," Beyoncé said earlier this year of her daughter. "Life is completely different now. So I'm -- I feel really, really just lucky that I can still do what I love and now have a way bigger meaning. And that's to be her mother."

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images(ANTWERP, Belgium) -- Beyonce is “feeling much better,” a day after a doctor ordered her to postpone her show Tuesday night in Antwerp, Belgium.

The singer posted a handwritten apology to fans for having to cancel the concert on her website.

“I’ve never postponed a show in my life. It was very hard for me. I promise I will make it up very soon. I’m sorry if I disappointed you. Thank you for your concern. I’m feeling much better now and I’m ready to give you a great show.”

The “Single Ladies” singer had two shows in Antwerp scheduled for The Mrs. Carter Show world tour. Though it appears the show will go on Wednesday night, there is no word on when the first show will be rescheduled.

Beyonce released a statement Tuesday morning saying she had been “advised by her doctors to rest as a result of dehydration and exhaustion” and that “ticket holders should keep their tickets to be used with the re-scheduled date.”

Tuesday’s cancellation quickly fueled rumors that the 31-year-old singer is pregnant with her second child. Sources close to the singer have been quick to quash the reports.

“Beyoncé and Jay are planning for another baby after her tour is over and things calm down just a bit,” one source told People on Monday, referring to the singer and husband Jay-Z.

In a recent interview with Good Morning America in London, the mother of Blue Ivy, said she’s definitely open to more children.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images(NEW ORLEANS) -- As expected, Beyoncé reunited with her Destiny's Child pals during her Super Bowl halftime performance at New Orleans' Superdome on Sunday. And one thing was for certain: Beyoncé bounced back in a big way after lip-syncing the national anthem at the presidential inauguration last month.

The halftime highlight was Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joining their one-time band mate halfway through the set, emerging from underneath the stage. The trio started off with their single "Bootylicious" -- appropriately enough, given their sexy black outfits -- before segueing into "Independent Women," which was featured in the 2000 movie Charlie's Angels.

In a nod to their involvement in that film's soundtrack, they closed the song by stating in unison, "Hello, Charlie," and then striking the famous Charlie's Angels pose.

B asked Kelly and Michelle for help on vocals on her next song: her solo hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." Kelly and Michelle even did the dance made famous in the "Single Ladies" video along with Beyoncé before exiting the stage halfway through the song.

The halftime show began with Pepsi's "fan-made countdown," a speedy photo montage of Beyoncé's fans that served as an introduction to the pop star.

Beyoncé, wearing a black leather outfit split in the middle to go with lengthy black boots, appeared on a set whose edges were lit in neon colors. From above, the shape of the set gave the appearance of two faces looking at one another. She was surrounded for most of her performance by a large group of backup dancers.

Fire sprung up from the stage, and Beyoncé kicked things off with a small snippet of "Love On Top" before launching into her first major solo hit, "Crazy in Love." There was no cameo from her duet partner in the original recording, her husband, Jay-Z.

After singing "End of Time," Beyoncé stood in front of a screen on which several realistic images of her mimicked her moves as she sang "Baby Boy." Vocals from reggae singer Sean Paul, who's featured on the original recording, were piped in.

Beyoncé closed the show with a wonderful rendition of "Halo," slapping the hands of fans surrounding the set as she did so. She thanked the crowd at the end of her set.

Less than three hours after her performance, Beyoncé announced a world tour.

Sony Music Entertainment(LOS ANGELES) -- The rumors about a Destiny's Child reunion during Beyonce's Super Bowl halftime performance just got a little meatier.

A source tells Us Weekly that Beyonce will kick off the set with solo material, and then midway through the production, she'll be joined by her Destiny's Child pals Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

A source tells Us Weekly that the trio will perform a medley of Destiny's Child hits, including "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Survivor," before wrapping up with their just-released song "Nuclear." The Pharrell Williams-produced "Nuclear" comes from the latest Destiny's Child compilation set Love Songs, which is due out Tuesday.

Us Weekly's source tells the magazine that Beyonce can't wait to "knock them dead" at the Super Bowl, taking place Feb. 3. She's especially fired up after reports that she lip-synched "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Monday's Inaugural ceremony in Washington D.C., the insider says.

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Beyonce is getting up close and personal in her new HBO documentary, Beyonce: Life is But a Dream.

In a new 90-second trailer for the documentary, which the singer directed, Beyonce shares a never-before-seen video of her daughter Blue Ivy’s ultrasound.

The trailer also shows intimate shots of Beyonce, 31, on vacation, in her bedroom with no makeup and rehearsing. The film includes “extensive first-person footage, some of it shot by Beyonce on her laptop, in which she reflects on the realities of celebrity, the refuge she finds onstage and the transcendent joy of becoming a mother last year,” according to HBO’s website.

The documentary, for which Beyonce also acted as executive producer, is set to air on HBO Feb. 16.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage(NEW YORK) -- From raising one of the most famous babies in Hollywood to a new $50 million endorsement deal with Pepsi, it seems as if Beyonce can do it all, and all at the same time. Since her early days with Destiny’s Child, the 31-year-old hasn’t stopped pushing her way to the top.

The singer opened up to GQ about what she’s learned and how she does it all.1. She deserves her success. “I’ve sacrificed a lot of things, and I’ve worked harder than probably anyone I know, at least in the music industry. So I just have to remind myself that I deserve it,” she said.2. She approaches her shows like an athlete. “You know how they sit down and watch whoever they’re going to play and study themselves? That’s how I treat this. I watch my performances, and I wish I could just enjoy them, but I see the light that was late. I see, ‘Oh God, that hair did not work.’ Or ‘I should never do that again.’ I try to perfect myself.”3. She has a Beyonce archive. The singer keeps a record of almost every existing photograph, interview, video and video diary she’s ever made.4. Her career is more than important to her. It’s a necessity. "I love my job, but it’s more than that: I need it,” she said. “Because before I gave birth, it was the only time in my life, all throughout my life, that I was lost.”5. She believes women should be financially independent from their men. “Let’s face it, money gives men the power to run the show,” she said. “It gives men the power to define value. They define what’s sexy. And men define what’s feminine. It’s ridiculous.”6. She loses herself on stage. “It’s like a blackout,” she said. “When I’m onstage, I don’t know what the crap happens. I am gone.”7. She knows she’s got power. "I’m more powerful than my mind can even digest and understand,” she said.

Al Bello/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter has received the dubious distinction of owning the worst name for a girl of any celebrity baby born in 2012, based on a poll of BabyNames.com members.

Blue Ivy Carter received 47.1 percent of the vote for the worst girl name, while Hawaii Five-O star Alex O'Loughlin's young son, Lion, earned the title of worst boy name, with 42.5 percent of the vote.

The award for best girl name goes to the daughter of The Bachelorette's Jen Schefft, Charlotte Grace. Hilary Duff and former hockey player Mike Comrie's son, Luca Cruz, received the title of best boy name.

Over 2,000 members of BabyNames.com participated in the poll. Here's how the results break down:

PRNewsFoto/PepsiCo)(NEW YORK) -- Even if you're watching Beyonce's Super Bowl halftime show from home this February, there's still a way for you to participate in the performance as it happens in New Orleans. Starting Saturday, fans are invited to go online and submit photos of themselves striking specific poses, including head bopping, feet tapping and hips shaking. The snapshots could end up in a special on-air introduction that will play as Beyonce takes the stage at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

If you upload your photos to the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show website by Jan. 11, you'll be entered into a drawing for the chance to be one of 50 fans who'll step onto the field during Beyonce's performance Feb. 3. The lucky fans who are selected will also be invited to bring a friend to New Orleans, participate in dress rehearsals for the big show and join the on-field dance team.

Beyonce and Pepsi will also select an additional 50 fans from the New Orleans area. Those folks and their guests will also get an on-field experience at the halftime show.

For more information on submitting photos, check out Pepsi.com/halftime.